Altered Fate
by Puppeteer of Hearts
Summary: Fate can take many turns, some good, some bad. But good things can blossom from despair. This is one such tale. Under a broken mid-autumn moon in 2007, this story begins ... [P3 AU, starts in 2007]
1. When a Knight Falls

It was meant to be a simple patrol, one of the few ones he did solo.

Akihiko had been preoccupied, and Mitsuru was needed elsewhere. So he was on his own as much as he could be in this time, where the Shadows patrolled and tried to hunt down the few humans were awake in this time.

Shinjiro swore at the fact that fate had chosen to throw him against a large Shadow.

He'd found it outside a house, having broken one coffin already and dragged out a younger woman – a mother, judging by the way she had instantly ran over to the smaller coffin, screaming – out to eat, but he'd shown up in the nick of time. Gripping the war hammer he carried with him, he glared at the Shadow. It was a twisted, shining silver knight, the form reminding him of his Persona in some twisted way.

The Shadow gave him a look before charging him, irritated someone had deigned to come between it and its prey. Dodging, the teenager swung the hammer, landing a blow on its arm. Hearing the horse neigh in pain, Shinjiro grinned wolfishly …

Only for the flat of the blade the Shadow carried to come around and hit him in the ribs.

Crying out in pain, Shinjiro rolled several yards before coming to a stop. His Persona let out an agitated cry inside his head, desperately trying to recover the damage. He had to make sure that the mom was safe …! Forcing himself upright, he found himself face to face with a blast of fire that knocked him back once more, sending him flying into a wall.

Seeing stars, he was certain he had blacked out for a bit from the pain. It took a small child screaming in terror for the darkness to recede into cold panic, Shinjiro focusing on what he was seeing.

'No!'

The mother had been injured, but her movements suggested she was still alive. The small coffin had opened up, revealing a boy of eight, paralyzed in fear as the Shadow turned to him.

A child would be easier prey.

Shinjiro didn't know he had moved until after the fact.

He had his arms wrapped around the boy and was rolling with him in his arms, keeping his body between the child and the large Shadow. He faintly heard something small and metallic clinking against the blacktop, but paid no heed to it as a searing pain lacerated his back, making him scream. The Shadow had nailed him hard with its sword, and he could feel skin and muscle severe from the blow.

Stubborn, he pushed himself upright, drawing the Evoker out of his pants pocket, glaring at the Shadow. "Fuck you. If I'm going down, you're going the fuck down with me." Putting the barrel against his head, he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Ken had no clue what was happening anymore.

On his hands and knees, the young boy stared at the teenager in front of him, eyes wide in confusion. It looked almost like a scene from Featherman R in the setup, the atmosphere almost surreal. He could see his mother nearby as she crawled for cover, her ankle twisted and several scrapes and cuts on her body, a cut on her forehead bleeding into her eyes.

Moms were tough, Ken told himself. She would be okay.

The teenage boy in front of him, however, was what held Ken's attention. He was dressed in the uniform for the private school Ken himself attended, Gekkoukan, but clearly a high-schooler. Ken hadn't even known he was there until he was being grabbed up in a pair of arms as the large, silver, horse-bound knight had attacked him. Even now, the teenager stood tall, even though blood poured out of a gaping wound across his back and stained his dark uniform almost completely black.

A blue aura had surrounded the teenager as he put the gun to his forehead, the only thing that had made Ken pause as he watched the scene. Was he going to do something? The knight seemed to sense danger, and was rearing back to strike again when the teenager pulled the trigger.

"Castor!"

In the next second, the blue light had exploded, and a black horse with a rider appeared above the teenager. A long spear was held in one hand, and a bright gold light began to build as the teenager pointed at the silver knight

"Pralaya."

A bellowing neigh rang in Ken's ears as the black knight the teenager had called forth charged the other, spear ramming forward to pierce through horse and rider in a single blow. The resounding crack made Ken throw his hands over his ears to save his hearing, eyes shutting as the pale moonlight was overruled by brilliant white light that he could see through his eyelids. The faint sound of a horse's dying screech lingered afterwords, even amongst the ringing that had now filled Ken's ears.

Then, silence.

Uncurling slowly, Ken blinked a bit, looking around. The silver knight and black horseman were gone now, leaving Ken, his mother and the teenager standing there. As Ken watched, the older boy seemed to relax a fraction, turning to look at his mother. Opening his mouth, Ken wasn't shocked to hear how quiet his voice was.

"W – who are …?" He began, stopping when the teen turned to look at him. Beneath the bruises, blood and dirt were a pair of pale grey eyes, alert and concerned as the teenager looked Ken over. After seeing that the boy was unharmed apart from minor bruising, the older boy smiled and began to fully relax.

"Good … you're oka ..."

He fell over in mid sentence, the gun in his hands dropping to land in front of Ken. Yipping a bit, the child looked it over as he heard his mother shout in panic, running over to try and talk consciousness back into the teenager. Picking it up, he kept his fingers away from the trigger as he traced the English letters engraved into the side of the silver barrel.

Looking up, his eyes spotted something small and silver nearby. Curiosity biting at him – maybe it would explain something – Ken got up and walked towards it. It was a pocket watch, the cover popped open to show a completely still face. Had the fall broken it? Picking it up as well, the boy felt something engraved in the back, making him flip it over. A set of kanji he couldn't read quite yet stared him in the face. Was it the teenager's …?

"SHINJIRO!" The shout in the middle of the night made Ken yip, stuffing the watch into his pyjama's pocket as he hid behind some of the rubble left over from the battle. A pair of teenagers, both in the Gekkoukan uniform as well, were racing towards the scene. One of them was a boy, silver hair and eyes bright in the evening as he ran forward. The look in his eyes made Ken want to look away in guilt, but the boy couldn't do anything but stare as things continued to unfold.

The second teenager was a girl, a redhead, and she seemed equally distressed. However, when she spotted Ken's mother, her focus shifted to the woman. As both teens neared, Ken watched as the silver haired one dropped to his knees, a green glow covering his hands as he reached for the fallen boy. The girl tended to Ken's mother instead, talking with her. From the sound of it, she was asking what had happened.

Ken didn't listen to that too much, more focused on the boys, who were closer to him.

"D … dammit Shinji, yo .. you can't! Hold on!" The silver-haired teen's voice sounded scared, the green light glowing brighter as he tried to close the wound on the downed teenager's back. "Shinji, no, please...!"

"A … Aki …?" The brunet teen – Shinji, Ken told himself mentally – opened one eye slowly. His voice sounded horribly gurgled, and Ken couldn't see his chest rising or falling at all. Trying to tell himself it was just the angle, the boy continued to eavesdrop, not noticing when the world began to slowly fade from the murky, unnatural lighting that had covered the entire scene. "L … late as always ..." Shinji forced a laugh, the sound raspy and hollow.

Aki shook his head. "D – don't talk, okay? Your back is … Shinji, what the hell!? You almost let a Shadow cut you in half!"

"A ki … kid ..." Shinji seemed to be fading in and out of it, shaking his head. "W … wasn't gonna … he deserves a full life … y'know …?" Ken could see the older boy fighting to keep his eyes open, blood starting to creep out of one corner of his mouth. "Sides .. I got it good … it won't be comin back ..."

"Doesn't matter, you idiot!" Aki shook his head, voice going from scared to tight from what had to be crying. "You're bleeding everywhere, a – and I can't … Di … Dia's not doing anything, I'm not …! Mitsuru, help!" Desperation broke Aki's voice as he turned to the redhead girl, who snapped to attention and ran over to the teen boys.

Kneeling down as well, the redhead girl's own hands began glowing green as she reached forward, only to stop. A realization seemed to settle into her sharp eyes, and Ken felt his stomach drop. He had seen that look so often in his shows, he knew what it meant, and it scared him. Aki seemed to pause at that, the green light still going.

"Mitsuru, please, we've gotta …!" He began, only to stop as the girl shook her head, looking away.

"... I'm sorry, Akihiko ..." Her voice seemed completely broken, hands going to grip her skirt. "E … even if we tried … Penthesileia, she … She's saying that he's lost too much blood. We can't get him to the hospital in time ..."

"Heh … sorry ..." Shinji's voice was faint now, and Ken felt his stomach drop even further. "I … I wasn't gonna let it … get two people … not while I could help it ..." His breaths were even more shallow now, and Ken quietly curled up into a ball as he looked away. He knew what was coming now, and there was nothing to be done to help him. "T … they're both fine … look out for them, okay …?"

"Shinji!" Aki's voice had broken, and Ken glanced from his ball to see the boy grip his bleeding friend desperately, pulling him into his arms. "No, you can't …! I … what am I …?!"

"... Is there anything … you want me to tell Miki …?"

The only thing Ken heard in response was a broken cry from Aki as the young boy looked away, eyes burning with tears. This wasn't right; Shinji was the good guy, wasn't he? The good guys didn't die like this … Heroes didn't die like this …!

"Heh … alright then … Sorry Aki, but … I ..." A raspy breath hit Ken's ears, making him curl up into a tighter ball. "Look after th kid, okay …? and ... Miki 'n' I'll kick your ass if you join us too soon."

After that, Ken couldn't hear him talk anymore. Biting his lip, he let the tears fall, hearing the pocket watch start to tick away mockingly.

* * *

No.

This … This wasn't …

No.

Shinji hadn't just …

Breath stopped, Akihiko looked his best friend over. His eyes had slipped shut as some point, head resting limply against Akihiko's shoulder. "Shin ..ji...?" He breathed, shaking his best friend. "come on, you idiot … wake up."

No response.

Heart stopping, Akihiko shook Shinjiro again, ignoring the way blood had seeped through his clothes and now touched his skin. Shinjiro remained motionless in his arms, the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips. "Shinji, please …" Hearing his voice crack more, Akihiko hugged him tighter. "Wake up ...You have to … Shinji …!"

In the back of his head, Pollux – who had remained dead silent the entire time – let out a mental screech that overwhelmed most of Akihiko's senses. Pain, confusion, grief, rage, sorrow … the whirl of emotions gave the silver-haired teen a headache as he tried one last shake of the shoulders. "Please …?"

Nothing but stillness.

No response, no breath, no flicker of the eyelids … The faint bond of energy that Akihiko had always felt between Castor and Pollux had been severed. Mitsuru gripped her skirt tightly as she silently wept, red curls hiding her distraught face. Nearby, the woman Shinjiro had saved buried her face in her hands, clearly as upset as the teenagers. The kid Shinjiro had kept bringing up was nowhere to be seen, but at the moment, the silver-haired teenager wasn't thinking about that.

No.

This hadn't happened.

Shinji hadn't just … hadn't just …

He wasn't …

He couldn't be …

Body reacting, Akihiko pulled Shinjiro in close as he screamed, the world falling apart around him. He didn't care.

* * *

**_Starwing's Notes:_ **_I swear Shinjiro is my favorite character in Persona 3._

_Well here's a new story from me; I have spotty motivation when working on "Soul Survivor" so here have a bucketful of angst and alternate universe sadness to break your hearts while you wait. Going back to the Original October Fourth where things got fucked up for the subplot in-game, and adding another level of sad and oh god no into it. _

_I just wanted to fuck around with things a bit and see what happened in a ripple outwards from this point. Expect lots of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaangst and a surprisingly GOOD Ikutsuki to come next chapter. _

_Because I'm killing off one of the main characters two years before the plot kicks off, why the frig do they need an evil asshole of a chairman/mentor? They've got enough on their plates as it is. _

_Until next time!_


	2. Aftershock

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Ikutsuki Shuji found himself pacing back and forth across his small office, biting his lip as he all but felt his hair slowly starting to gray. The distress that had been sent to them from Shinjiro had come a half-hour ago, and neither he nor the two had gone out to help him had even called to let him know that things were under control. Siging and tugging on his hair, deep hazel eyes glanced at the clock as it ticked to ten past midnight. 'Where are they...?"

As if on cue, the phone on his desk rung. All but tripping over his feet in shock, Ikutsuki picked up the phone and placed it to his ear. "Yes?"

"Chairman-san..."

Right away, the hollow tone of Mitsuru's voice made Ikutsuki's stomach drop into the floor. Oh no … "Mitsuru?" Clearing his throat when he felt a lump rise in it, the adult let himself continue. "... What all happened?"

"... Can you please come down to the hospital? The woman and child are alright, but … I … Shinjiro, he ..."

Cold shot down Ikutsuki's back. "I'll be over there right away, Mitsuru. What all happened?" Continuing to talk as he left his office and headed down the large staircase of the dorm, Ikutsuki listened as Mitsuru gave a list of the property damage; it thankfully wasn't too much, but that wasn't what his concern was. From the sound of it, Shinjiro was hurt bad, and that was what was biting into Ikutsuki. He was the one in charge of those kids, even if he couldn't fight with them; he shouldn't have let Shinjiro go alone.

He had gotten his shoes on and reached the bus trolley to the hospital part of Iwatodai in record time. The bus itself seemed to crawl, and it was only by digging his nails into his palm that he kept himself from pacing. When he had finally reached the hospital, Ikutsuki darted into the lobby, scanning the crowd for one of the teenagers. His eyes caught the wine red color of Mitsuru's hair, but a better look made him pale a bit. The hem of her skirt seemed darker than it should be …

Upon hearing him approach, Mitsuru's head lifted, deep chestnut eyes dull. Halting at that, Ikustsuki walked towards her again, frowning more as she stood up, weariness in every bone of her body. "Mitsuru. What happened?" Stopping in front of her, the brunet adult was relieved to see that she had picked a quiet corner of the hospital's lobby to meet up. "Where are the boys?"

At his second question, Mitsuru's eyes welled up with tears, and the cold biting at Ikutsuki's spine began creeping towards absolute zero. "Mitsuru …?"

"I … I can't ..." Shaking her head, Mitsuru rubbed at her eyes in haste. "... Shinjiro … he's down this way. Akihiko's sitting with him." Turning, the red-haired teenager began walking towards a smaller hallway, Ikutsuki following her for a few feet before noticing what was kept in this hallway; after his brain registered what had been written, both his brain and footsteps stopped.

**'Critical Condition'**

Shaking his head as more and more levels of fear began to fill him, Ikutsuki followed Mitsuru again, both of them halting when they saw Akihiko sitting outside of a hospital room, staring at the floor. The silver-haired boy didn't twitch when they reached him, eyes dull and flat as he fixated on the tile. "Akihiko-kun?" Worried, Ikutsuki reached out to touch him, only for an arc of blue and white lightning to flash between them. "?!"

"He's been like that ever since we reached the hospital and the doctors took custody of Shinjiro." Mitsuru sighed, settling next to Akihiko. "And … Penthesilea can't get through to Pollux; every time I try to reach him, she feels a powerful jolt." Placing her hand as close to Akihiko as she could, Mitsuru looked down. "Shinjiro had taken out the Shadow by the time we had reached the scene; the woman has minor injuries, and the child was unharmed. He, though … there was so much blood. It was like someone had attempted to paint and lost the bucket ..."

Wincing, Ikutsuki nodded before looking at Akihiko again. What he saw made him do a double take; if Mitsuru's hem had been darker than it normally was, then Akihiko had to have been holding his best friend. The boy's pants were saturated, and his now scarlet shirt had been white when they had left the dorm not a half hour ago. He couldn't see any difference on the leather gloves, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it as a doctor left the room.

Turning to face the doctor, Ikutsuki sighed and focused on the man's chin; he couldn't bring himself to look into his eyes. "... How bad is it?"

"... He won't last through the night." The doctor's voice was apologetic beneath the professionalism. "Even if we did manage to resuscitate him for a few moments, the damage done to his back was severe. The Shadow that struck him did so with a heavy blade, and we could see the bone when we went to dress the wound and attempt to clean it. The amount of blood he lost alone was a death sentence, but on top of that, it appears as though he somehow overrode the Skill Barrier when using his Persona."

Ikutsuki felt the world drop away at that; he had seen what happened when the Skill Barrier was breached. "I … I see." Looking down, he dug his nails into his palm once again before speaking again. "... Would it be alright for me to sit with him until the end?"

"It's alright. The only reason we removed Sanada is because his Persona was trying to pull the other boy's soul out of his body, and it wouldn't have ended well for anyone if he had succeeded. Several of my assistants are suffering from high-voltage shocks they got separating them." Glancing at the other two teens, the doctor gave an apologetic nod. "... I should go check up on the Amadas; they might be able to explain what happened."

"Very well." Nodding, Ikutsuki turned to Mitsuru, who was looking at them with a face that showed she was on the verge of breaking all form of self control and breaking down. "... I'll explain what he means by Skill Barrier at a later time, Mitsuru." Waiting until he saw the girl nod, Ikutsuki nodded in return before stepping into the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

It was quiet. The heart monitor seemed to beep only once in a great while, far too slow for someone to be alive. Shinjiro himself was arranged on the bed as comfortably as could be managed, the hospital robe wrapped around him white instead of the pale green given to most patients. Blood was visible on the front of his chest, and the lighting was enough for Ikutsuki to see the tip of the gaping wound the doctor had mentioned. Stepping as softly as he could, the adult sat down at the bedside, watching the teen.

He was only sixteen.

The thought made a river of guilt flood through him, and he looked down. He had been worried about letting Shinjiro go out on his own tonight; it wasn't out of fear that the boy couldn't control his Persona like Akihiko had been afraid of initially – the boy had taken to it at a good clip, which was unusual – but something in Ikutsuki's gut had been telling him not to let the three go out on their own unless it was of utmost necessity. He had let him go anyway, and now … Sighing, the adult pushed his glasses up to rub at wet eyes, fighting off losing his cool for as long as he could.

"I'm sorry." Shoulders shaking as he spoke, Ikutsuki let a hand reach out to grip onto Shinjiro's. "You … you shouldn't be here; I should have told you to just sit tight, and to wait at the dorm for the night." A bitter laugh left him at that. "But you wouldn't have liked that at all, would you? Especially not with the fact that every night spent at the dorm was another night someone fell into darkness, and that would drive you up the wall."

His glasses were useless now. Taking them off, Ikutsuki set them on the bedside table as he gave Shinjiro's hand a squeeze; it was growing cold. "Akihiko-kun really was lucky to have a good friend in you. As were Mitsuru and I. You … you're too young to die, dammit. Someone as stubborn and headstrong as you should be still around to enjoy the world, not leaving it behind." Looking down at the floor again as he felt tears start to fall, Ikutsuki felt his throat clench up. "You … I'm sorry, Shinjiro …"

A faint pressure on his fingers made his head lift, eyes wide. Shinjiro remained still, but the teen had somehow returned the earlier squeeze, as if in reassurance. The pressure faded as soon as Ikutsuki register it, and a second later, the heart monitor flatlined.

Withdrawing his hand, Ikutsuki used it to cover his eyes instead, feeling himself quake as he let himself cry. He could faintly hear Akihiko's anguished shout through the doorway, and the sound only made it harder on him; the boy had probably felt his best friend's final departure through the link their Personae had as Castor faded away for good, beyond any reach. 'At least in the myth, the brothers were given an eternal home in the stars.' The bitter thought flashing through his mind as he stood, Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses before reaching down to grip the sheet that covered Shinjiro. If it hadn't been for the machine nearby blaring the call for a grim reaper, he could have been sleeping.

Biting his lip once more, Ikutsuki drew the sheet over Shinjiro's head, hearing the footsteps racing outside of the door. When the doctor from before had returned, he gave the other man a nod before leaving the room; he wanted to get Mitsuru and Akihiko back to the dorm before he had to do the paperwork with the doctors. Turning to look at them, he felt his heart sink more. Mitsuru had both arms wrapped tight around Akihiko, her hands coated in blue light as she restrained the silver-haired youth. Akihiko himself seemed to be straining to get into the room where Shinjiro's body laid, eyes full of pain and a panicked frenzy that Ikutsuki had only seen in wounded animals before.

"... Let him go to Shinjiro-kun, Mitsuru. There's nothing anyone can do anymore." Mitsuru looked at him, face pained as tears started flowing, but she let Akihiko go. Like Ikutsuki had thought he would, the silver-haired boy rushed into Shinjiro's room, his Evoker rattling out of its holster in his rush. Picking it up, Ikutsuki stowed it in his pocket so it wasn't forgotten. "... You should get back to the dorm, Mitsuru. I'll take care of things here … and I'll call your father."

Mitsuru nodded as she stood up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I … Alright." Sighing, she glanced in the room as another cry reached them. "... I don't know how long it'll take him to recover, if he will."

"Not fully." Ikutsuki shook his head, sighing. "It's never a pretty story when one half of a set of twin dies. Even if there wasn't blood between them, those two were brothers." Giving Mitsuru's shoulder a squeeze, the brunet male felt her trembling just as much as he probably was. "... Do you want to go say goodbye to him?" He asked, voice low. Getting a quiet nod in response, Ikutsuki let a quiet 'okay' pass his lips as he let go of her shoulder.

Waiting until he heard the door to the room shut as Mitsuru closed it behind her, Ikutsuki punched the wall in front of him, biting back the shout that was burning up his throat. He had to call Mitsuru's father first and foremost, he reminded himself; while they couldn't do much to bring back the dead, they still needed to have the cover story for what had happened to cause a ruin where a regular two-story house had stood the night before, and why there was now a student who wouldn't be returning to Gekkoukan in the morning.

The doctor managed to catch him before he went too far, and the paperwork had been the quickest part of the evening. Heading for an exit after it had been finished, Ikutsuki pulled out his phone and dialed the number for Mitsuru's father as fast as he could. Placing the phone to his ear, he paced a bit while waiting for Takeharu to pick up.

"_What happened." _Ikutsuki felt his shoulders sag; Takeharu was quick. Of course, they really only called him at this time of night if there was either a situation that had gone sour and needed a cover story, or to tell him of a new recruit they had rescued in the Dark Hour. A bitter jolt flashed through Ikutsuki as he realized that it was how Shinjiro had first joined, and it made him lose his voice just as he opened his mouth to speak. _"Ikutsuki?" _

Shaking his head, Ikutsuki drew a shaky breath before speaking. "... We've lost Shinjiro-kun." His voice cracked as he spoke.

"_What." _

"It … I don't fully know; I haven't gotten a chance to speak to the woman he saved." Fighting to keep himself under control, the chairman began pacing again. "Akihiko-kun and Mitsuru hadn't reached him when he destroyed the Shadow, but Takeharu-san, he broke the Skill Barrier. There wasn't a lot any of us could do for him even if we had been there with him the whole time."

"_Civilians were involved and awake in the Dark Hour, and we lost one of our fighting force." _Stress creeped into Takeharu's voice as he replied, a sigh lacing his words. "_One who broke through the Skill Barrier too … And dammit all, Aragaki's adopted mother is a friend of Nanjo's. The hell that will happen when he finds out will be frightening." _

Ikutsuki swore; he had forgotten about that, and now he had no clue how to handle this. "Dammit, I have to call them now too, but ..."

"_No. I'll go and report to Nanjo about the situation, and I'll take care of breaking the news to Mayuzumi." _Takeharu cut him off at that. _"... And I'll help Mitsuru too; I'm her father, after all. You just focus on keeping Sanada from flying off the handle. It wouldn't end well if he attempted suicide because we were scrambling about with our hands and legs tied together." _

"Gotcha." Wincing with a sigh, Ikutsuki glanced back towards the hospital. "They're saying goodbye to him right now, but they'll head back to the dorm when they're done. Akihiko-kun dropped his Evoker as it is, so I have it on me to keep that option isolated."

"_Very well. I'll meet them there." _Takeharu's voice was exhausted. "_Go and get the full story from the civilians, and I'll discuss the cover story with you and Kurosawa upon your return to the dorms as well." _

"Understood." Nodding as he hung up, Ikutsuki stored the phone away in his pocket. Slipping a hand into where he had stored Akihiko's Evoker, the brunet male began to walk into the hospital again when a thought hit him; the doctor had never mentioned finding Shinjiro's Evoker in his personal belongings. Those were normally grabbed first and foremost to keep from alarming the hospital staff that wasn't in connection with S.E.E.S and the Dark Hour. Maybe Mitsuru had grabbed it before they had gotten here?

Filing the thought as he re-entered the hospital, Ikutsuki came up short when he saw Mitsuru guiding Akihiko out of the hospital. The boy had gone back to his dull expression that he had been sporting the first time Ikutsuki saw him, face tear-streaked. Mitsuru wasn't much better off, guiding Akihiko with both hands on his one arm. "... Your father will meet you at the dorm, Mitsuru. He wants to see you both." Mitsuru nodded quietly in understanding, throat trembling a bit. "... Do you have Shinjiro's Evoker on you?"

"No; the doctor's said it wasn't in the holster." Mitsuru shook her head, flinching as she spoke; she hadn't thought about grabbing the Evoker at all. "It's most likely still back at the sight of the accident, if it wasn't destroyed somehow." Ikutsuki sighed at that, but nodded. "... Amada-san is in the main wing of the hospital; the doctor's said she has deep tissue bruising and a potential concussion, but she's conscious."

"Alright." Nodding, Ikutsuki pulled them both into a small hug. "... I'm sorry." He whispered before letting go, giving the teens their space. "Go ahead and return to the dorm, alright? I'll be there as soon as I can." Mitsuru nodded as she lead Akihiko out the door, pulling the silver-haired boy's blazer back into place and zipping it up from where he had worn it tied around his waist.

He wasn't responding to her touch at all, and if it weren't for Penthesilea constantly scanning him to make sure his vitals were still going, Mitsuru would have thought he had died with Shinjiro. Guiding him more, she got him onto the bus back to the dorm quietly, settling him in the back before sitting next to him, a hand gripping one of his.

Going into the room to say goodbye had been harder than she had thought. Everything had been so still as the doctors pulled the machinery away, uncovering the body briefly to do one last check to make sure it wasn't a fluke of the machine. Akihiko had held onto Shinjiro's hand until the doctors had pulled it away, voices apologetic as they explained they needed to get the body ready to go to the morgue. After that, he had retreated in on himself, and Mitsuru had taken it upon herself to guide the other boy out of the room and down the hall.

Penthesilea herself seemed to be quiet; all of her attempts to reach through to Pollux had resulted in jolts of pain that Mitsuru had felt in her stomach, and even in the hospital room, the Persona had attempted one last scan to try and find Castor. Like Mitsuru had thought, there wasn't any response. For Mitsuru herself, it was a pain she didn't fully understand; she hadn't lost anyone close to her like this before, and the 'twins' were the first friends she ever had. Losing one of them like this was heart-rending, and Mitsuru didn't fully understand what all she could do to cope. Crying only did so much for her.

She pushed the thought aside when she saw her Father waiting for them inside the dorm's lounge. He didn't have a cigarette in his mouth, and she couldn't see a pack nearby; Mitsuru knew he often smoked when stressed, so this was unusual. He turned his head when she shut the door behind both of them, and her momentary lapse of attention was all Akihiko needed to bolt towards the stairs.

"Let him." Takeharu's voice stopped Mitsuru, and she turned to him. "I locked all of the doors aside from Aragaki's, and all sharp objects are hidden. Let the boy grieve in peace." Nodding as she understood his words, Mitsuru walked over to the sofa he sat at, eyes focusing on the camouflage pattern of the carpeting. Takeharu waited for her to sit down beside him, his visible eye gentle.

Feeling as though he was waiting for her to speak, Mitsuru opened her mouth … and let the dam break. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she let her forehead hit them as her hair fell into a curtain around her, body wracked with sobs. Her father's hand rested on her back for a moment before beginning to rub gently, a small comfort Takeharu knew Mitsuru would appreciate.

"I … I felt so helpless ..." She admitted when she could speak. "It … we got there and he was on the pavement bleeding. His back was cut open, Father, I … I felt myself freeze, I couldn't go near him …" All of the blood had scared her on a level she didn't fully understand, and she hated herself for it; if she hadn't frozen up, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

At that thought, she remembered the 'Skill Barrier' the doctor had brought up. "Father...?" She turned to him, drawing a shaky breath as she accepted the handkerchief offered to her. "... The doctor mentioned something called a "Skill Barrier". What is that?"

Her father seemed to frown at that, looking away. "Ikutsuki and I didn't know how to discuss it with the three of you, since you were all so cautious about watching your powers on your own. Neither of us thought you'd even reach that barrier without being under pressure." Gripping his knee a bit, Takeharu focused on the sofa across from them as he spoke. "The Skill Barrier is something that our scientists noticed when we were still trying to understand how a Persona worked; it seems to be a barrier a summoner's mind puts up that limits how much energy they can expend to cast a skill. It's a touch stricter with what you and your friends deemed to be 'physical' skills."

"So it more or less prevents us from using skills beyond our control?" Having gotten herself mostly under control, Mitsuru stared at the handkerchief with dull eyes. "... What happens when someone breaks through the barrier?"

"... Organ failure, brain damage, even instant death depending on how bad the breach is." Takerharu's shoulders slumped at that, his visible eye softening. "When we first witnessed it on the Anti Shadow Suppression Units, the fourth generation I believe, they didn't have such parameters programmed into them, and they would often surpass the unknown barrier and destroy their motherboards and programming. Since they have a collective memory, the programmers used that as a starting point to encode the 'Skill Barrier' into them about halfway through the fifth generation."

"... So Shinjiro … he didn't have a good chance of survival, whether or not he was wounded to begin with." Mitsuru sighed, feeling the tiny flicker of hope in her heart die out. Takeharu shook his head, and she sighed. "... At least he didn't suffer in pain. He … he seemed to accept that he was dying; he asked Akihiko if there was anything he wanted to pass along to his sister ..."

"Everyone reacts differently to death, and everyone reacts differently to grief." Giving a nod, Takeharu placed a tender hand on Mitsuru's cheek. "It's not weak to cry when you lose a friend, Mitsuru. Don't ever think that." Nodding in understanding, Mitsuru bit back a yawn. "Go get some sleep; Ikutsuki and I will discuss how to approach things with the school and Aragaki's family. You just worry about getting rest."

Nodding, Mitsuru stood up and gave her father a hug around the neck before beginning the long walk up the stairs. Reaching the second floor, she paused, not surprised to see the light on in Shinjiro's room. Walking towards it, she paused for a moment before stepping in the open doorway. Shinjiro's room was plain, most of his school supplies kept on his desk in a haphazard fashion, schoolbag leaning against one side of the desk. What few clothes he had were kept neat in the closet, his favorite boots nearby as well.

Letting her gaze fall on the bed, Mitsuru sighed. Akihiko had crawled on top of the covers, hugging a pillow with all the strength he seemed to possess. Letting the door shut behind her, she approached him, only stopping when she saw him shaking. Of course he was crying into the pillow, not wanting anyone to see him have a final breakdown. Debating for a moment if she should leave or not, Mitsuru walked towards him.

Akihiko sat up when she had reached the bed, turning to look at her. His face was half hidden in the pillow, and the look he gave Mitsuru was enough to make her wish she hadn't entered the room. He didn't seem to be chasing her out, and Penthesilea only picked up a wave of depression from Pollux; it wasn't likely he would attack her if she tried to touch him. "... You don't have to leave, Akihiko, I promise." She reassured him, relaxing a fraction when he did. "But … would it be alright for you to get out of your ruined clothes?"

The silver-haired boxer paused for a moment before setting down the pillow, pulling his clothes off with no care to Mitsuru standing in front of him, watching. She was certain that under normal circumstances, it would have ended with her redder than her hair and him frozen, but for now, she just wanted to rush to him and hold him tight. Seeing the small trace of blood that hand managed to reach his skin through the ruined shirt, she approached and wetted the handkerchief before wiping it clean.

Akihiko had flinched when the cloth touched him, but he relaxed enough for Mitsuru to do a quick clean up. He was down to his boxers – the uniform had been ruined – and for the first time in the year or two they had known one another, he seemed small and vulnerable. Finished, she gave him a soft look. "... Do you want me to give you some privacy?"

"... Please stay." Akihiko spoke, startling her for a myriad of reasons. The most prominent one to her was how utterly broken he sounded, his normally calm and collected tone lacking it's normal confidence. It sounded like a small child, scared of the dark and not wanting a parent to leave them behind, or else the monsters would get them. Nodding, Mitsuru kicked off her boots and socks before settling on the bed next to Akihiko, who had grabbed the pillow once again.

Letting him lay down first, Mitsuru gave him plenty of room to himself before doing the same. The moment her head hit the mattress, Akihiko had let a hand snake out and grip onto one of hers, drawing her in close enough for her to touch his face if she rolled onto her side. Not stopping him, she reached down and gripped the blanket that had been discarded and pulled it up over them both, resisting the urge to sneeze as the scent of cinnamon hit her nose.

It seemed to comfort Akihiko, however, and he was asleep soon, the vice grip on Mitsuru's hand never weakening.

* * *

_**Tori's Notes: **yeah, I had a name change. No real reason other than wanting a change. _

_*taps fingers together* I ain't gonna stop posting this because nobody's said anything. XD I just find it an interesting idea to explore, and I wasn't lying when I said Ikutsuki would be a good guy this go around. _

_Seeya next time. Hopefully it'll be for soul survivor~_


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